28 THE START [chap, i 



the lake, to make a topographical sketch of it. He 

 was unarmed, but carried a prismatic compass in a 

 leather case with a strap. It was cold, and he wrapped 

 his poncho of guanaco-hide round his neck and head. 

 He had walked a few hundred yards, when a puma, a 

 female, sprang on him from behind and knocked him 

 down. As she sprang on him she tried to seize his 

 head with one paw, striking him on the shoulder with 

 the other. She lacerated his mouth and also his back, 

 but tumbled over with him, and in the scuffle they 

 separated before she could bite him. He sprang to his 

 feet, and, as he said, was forced to think quickly. She 

 had recovered herself, and sat on her haunches hke a 

 cat, looking at him, and then crouched to spring again ; 

 whereupon he whipped off his poncho, and as she sprang 

 at him he opened it, and at the same moment hit her 

 head with the prismatic compass in its case which he 

 held by the strap. She struck the poncho, and was 

 evidently puzzled by it, for, turning, she slunk off to 

 one side, under a bush, and then proceeded to try to 

 get round behind him. He faced her, keeping his eyes 

 upon her, and backed off. She followed him for three 

 or four hundred yards. At least t^idce she came up to 

 attack him, but each him he opened his poncho and 

 yelled, and at the last moment she shrank back. She 

 continually, however, tried, by taking advantage of 

 cover, to sneak up to one side, or behind, to attack 

 him. Finally, when he got near camp, she abandoned 

 the pursuit, and went into a small patch of bushes. He 

 raised the alarm ; an Indian rode up and set fire to the 

 bushes from the windward side. When the cougar 

 broke from the bushes, the Indian rode after her, and 

 threw his bolas, which twisted around her hind -legs ; 

 and while she was struggling to free herself, he brained 



